Fire retardant fabric

ABSTRACT

A fabric includes a yarn having a core and a sheath. The core is composed of spandex. The sheath includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers which are spun around the core in a spiral manner. The fabric does not include any glass.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Section 111(a) application relating to and claiming the benefit of commonly owned, co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/270,757, filed on Oct. 22, 2021, and entitled “FIRE RETARDANT FABRIC,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fire retardant fabric and, more particularly, fire retardant fabric having a spandex core with a fire-retardant rayon outer sheath.

BACKGROUND

Each year, thousands of residential fires are caused in the United States by the ignition of mattresses and bedding, resulting in hundreds of deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in property losses. Heightened awareness of fire prevention has led to the development of standards and regulations directed to reducing the likelihood that such fires will occur. One approach to reducing the likelihood of residential fires is to use flame resistant fabrics as flame barriers in mattresses and bedding.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a fabric includes a yarn, wherein the yarn includes a core, wherein the core is composed of spandex, and a sheath, wherein the sheath includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers, wherein the plurality of fire-retardant fibers is spun around the core in a spiral manner. In some embodiments, the fire-retardant fibers are rayon fibers. In some embodiments, the fabric is a knit fabric. In some embodiments, the fabric is stretchable in a machine direction and in a cross direction. In some embodiments, the fabric is stretchable 5% to 75% in the machine direction. In some embodiments, the fabric is stretchable 5% to 75% in the cross direction.

In some embodiments, a density of the core is 5 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the yarn is 5% to 90% by weight of a total weight of the fabric. In some embodiments, the fabric does not include any glass. In some embodiments, the fabric conforms to standards under 16 CFR 1633 test standards. In some embodiments, the fabric is configured for use as a component of a mattress.

In some embodiments, a yarn includes a core, wherein the core is composed of spandex, and a sheath, wherein the sheath includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers, wherein the plurality of fire-retardant fibers is spun around the core in a spiral manner. In some embodiments, the fire-retardant fibers are rayon fibers. In some embodiments, a density of the core is 5 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the yarn does not include any glass.

In some embodiments, a mattress includes a foam core, and a cap fitted over the foam core, wherein the cap includes a fabric having a yarn, wherein the yarn includes a yarn core, wherein the yarn core is composed of spandex, and a sheath, wherein the sheath includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers, wherein the plurality of fire-retardant fibers is spun around the yarn core in a spiral manner. In some embodiments, the fire-retardant fibers are rayon fibers. In some embodiments, a density of the yarn core is 5 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the yarn does not include any glass. In some embodiments, the mattress conforms to standards under 16 CFR 1633 test standards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are presented for the purpose of illustration rather than being drawn to scale, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a cross-sectional view of some embodiments of a fire-retardant yarn;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a fabric incorporating the yarn shown in FIG. 1 ; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate embodiments of a mattress having a core and cap incorporating the fabric.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , in some embodiments, a yarn 10 including a core 12 and a sheath 14. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is a core-spun yarn. In some embodiments, the core 12 is composed of spandex. In some embodiments, the sheath 14 includes a plurality of fibers. In some embodiments, the sheath 14 includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers. In some embodiments, the sheath 14 is composed of fire-retardant rayon fibers. In some embodiments, the fire-retardant fibers are spun around the core 12. In some embodiments, the fire-retardant fibers are spun around the core 12 in a spiral manner. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is configured to be used in a fabric 20. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 is a knit fabric. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 includes enhanced stretch and recovery features after being knit and subjected to open width form for lamination.

In some embodiments, the fabric 20 incorporating the yarn 10 is both stretchable and resilient. In other embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches in the machine direction (MD) of the fabric 20. In other embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches in the cross direction (CD) of the fabric 20. In other embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches in both the machine direction (MD) and in the cross-direction (CD) of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 75% in the MD without pulling and distorting. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 50% in the MD without pulling and distorting. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 25% in the MD without pulling and distorting. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 5% in the MD without pulling and distorting.

In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 75% in the CD without pulling and distorting. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 50% in the CD without pulling and distorting. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 25% in the CD without pulling and distorting. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 stretches 5% in the CD without pulling and distorting.

In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 60 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 50 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 40 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 30 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 20 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier to 10 denier.

In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 60 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 50 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 40 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 30 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier to 20 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 60 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 50 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 40 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier to 30 denier.

In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier to 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier to 60 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier to 50 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier to 40 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 40 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 40 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 40 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 40 denier to 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 40 denier to 60 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 40 denier to 50 denier.

In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 50 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 50 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 50 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 50 denier to 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 50 denier to 60 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 60 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 60 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 60 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 60 denier to 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 70 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 70 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 70 denier to 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 80 denier to 100 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 90 denier to 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 90 denier to 100 denier.

In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 5 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 10 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 20 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 30 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 40 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 50 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 60 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 70 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 80 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 90 denier. In some embodiments, the density of the core 12 is 100 denier.

In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 70% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 50% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 40% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 30% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 5% to 10% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20.

In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 70% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 50% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 40% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 30% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 10% to 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 20% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 20% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 20% to 70% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 20% to 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 20% to 50% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 20% to 40% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 20% to 30% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20.

In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 30% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 30% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 30% to 70% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 30% to 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 30% to 50% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 30% to 40% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 40% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 40% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 40% to 70% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 40% to 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 40% to 50% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20.

In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 50% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 50% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 50% to 70% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 50% to 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 60% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 60% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 60% to 70% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 70% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 70% to 80% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the yarn 10 is from 80% to 90% by weight of the total weight of the fabric 20.

In some embodiments, the fabric 20 has a high residual char strength that is greater than a fabric without the core 12. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 does not include any glass. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 subjected to FR testing, the spandex core 12 provides improved residual char strength. In some embodiments, during FR testing, the spandex core 12 melts and forms a netting/web structure that facilitates gilding the construction of the yarns 10 and, in turn, the fabric 20 in place after being exposed to flame. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 conforms to standards under 16 CFR 1633 test standards, namely, STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY (OPEN FLAME) OF MATTRESS SETS. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 is configured to reduce cracks and breaches in the sheath 14 during 1633 testing.

In some embodiments, the fabric 20 is configured to be a component in bedding and sleep products, such as mattresses, and, more specifically, to stretchable and resilient, thermally insulating and flame retardant covers, socks and caps for mattress cores. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 is configured for use in open-width form for lamination. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , in some embodiments, a mattress 100 includes a foam core 102 and a sock or cap 104 that is fitted over the foam core 102. In some embodiments, the sock or cap 104 incorporates the fabric 20. In some embodiments, the fabric 20 is configured to reduce foam consumption of the foam core 102 when burned during 1633 testing, resulting in lower kW and Megajoules. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A fabric, comprising, a yarn, wherein the yarn includes a core, wherein the core is composed of spandex, and a sheath, wherein the sheath includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers, wherein the plurality of fire-retardant fibers is spun around the core in a spiral manner.
 2. The fabric of claim 1, wherein the fire-retardant fibers are rayon fibers.
 3. The fabric of claim 1, wherein the fabric is a knit fabric.
 4. The fabric of claim 1, wherein the fabric is stretchable in a machine direction and in a cross direction.
 5. The fabric of claim 4, wherein the fabric is stretchable 5% to 75% in the machine direction.
 6. The fabric of claim 4, wherein the fabric is stretchable 5% to 75% in the cross direction.
 7. The fabric of claim 1, wherein a density of the core is 5 denier to 100 denier.
 8. The fabric of claim 1, wherein the yarn is 5% to 90% by weight of a total weight of the fabric.
 9. The fabric of claim 1, wherein the fabric does not include any glass.
 10. The fabric of claim 1, wherein the fabric conforms to standards under 16 CFR 1633 test standards.
 11. The fabric of claim 1, wherein the fabric is configured for use as a component of a mattress.
 12. A yarn, comprising: a core, wherein the core is composed of spandex, and a sheath, wherein the sheath includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers, wherein the plurality of fire-retardant fibers is spun around the core in a spiral manner.
 13. The yarn of claim 12, wherein the fire-retardant fibers are rayon fibers.
 14. The yarn of claim 12, wherein a density of the core is 5 denier to 100 denier.
 15. The yarn of claim 12, wherein the yarn does not include any glass.
 16. A mattress, comprising: a foam core, a cap fitted over the foam core, wherein the cap includes a fabric having a yarn, wherein the yarn includes a yarn core,  wherein the yarn core is composed of spandex, and a sheath,  wherein the sheath includes a plurality of fire-retardant fibers,  wherein the plurality of fire-retardant fibers is spun around the yarn core in a spiral manner.
 17. The mattress of claim 16, wherein the fire-retardant fibers are rayon fibers.
 18. The mattress of claim 16, wherein a density of the yarn core is 5 denier to 100 denier.
 19. The mattress of claim 16, wherein the yarn does not include any glass.
 20. The mattress of claim 16, wherein the mattress conforms to standards under 16 CFR 1633 test standards. 